The present invention relates generally to a network gateway interface and, more particularly, to an information and control console for use with a network gateway interface.
In order for a computer to function properly in a network environment, the computer must be appropriately configured. Among other things, this configuration process establishes the protocol and other parameters by which the computer transmits and receives data. In one common example, a plurality of computers are networked to create a local area network (LAN). In the LAN, each computer must be appropriately configured in order to exchange data over the network. Since most networks are customized to meet a unique set of requirements, computers that are part of different networks are generally configured in different manners in order to appropriately communicate with their respective networks.
While desktop computers generally remain a part of the same network for a substantial period of time, laptops, handhelds, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellphones or other portable computers (collectively xe2x80x9cportable computersxe2x80x9d) are specifically designed to be transportable. As such, portable computers are connected to different networks at different times depending upon the location of the computer. In a common example in which the portable computer serves as an employee""s desktop computer, the portable computer is configured to communicate with their employer""s network, i.e., the enterprise network. When the employee travels, however, the portable computer may be connected to different networks that communicate in different manners. In this regard, the employee may connect the portable computer to the network maintained by an airport, a hotel, a cellular telephone network operator or any other locale in order to access the enterprise network, the Internet or some other on-line service. The portable computer is also commonly brought to the employee""s residence where it is used to access various networks, such as, the enterprise network, a home network, the Internet and the like. Since these other networks are configured somewhat differently, however, the portable computer must also be reconfigured in order to properly communicate with these other networks. Typically, this configuration is performed by the user each time that the portable computer is connected to a different network. As will be apparent, this repeated reconfiguration of the portable computer is not only quite time consuming, but is also prone to errors. The reconfiguration procedure may even be beyond the capabilities of many users or in violation of their employer""s information technology (IT) policy.
As described by U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/816,174 entitled xe2x80x9cNomadic Routerxe2x80x9d, filed on Mar. 12, 1997, and now abandoned in the name of inventors Short et. al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/458,602 entitled xe2x80x9cSystems and Methods for Authorizing, Authenticating and Accounting Users Having Transparent Computer Access to a Network Using a Gateway Interfacexe2x80x9d, filed on Dec. 08, 1999, and still pending in the name of inventors Pagan, et. al., a Universal Subscriber Gateway (USG) device has been developed by Nomadix, Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif., the assignee of the present invention. The contents of both of these applications are expressly incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The gateway interface serves as an interface connecting the user/subscriber to a number of networks or other online services. For example, the gateway interface can serve as a gateway to the Internet, the enterprise network, or other networks and/or on-line services. In addition to serving as a gateway, the gateway interface automatically adapts to a host, in order that it may communicate with the new network in a manner that is transparent both to the user/subscriber and the new network. Once the gateway interface has appropriately adapted to the user""s host, the host can communicate via the new network, such as the network at a hotel, at home, at an airport, or any other location, in order to access other networks, such as the enterprise network, or other online services, such as the internet.
The transient user/subscriber, and more specifically the remote or laptop user, benefits from being able to access a myriad of computer networks without having to undergo the time-consuming and all-too-often daunting task of reconfiguring their host in accordance with network specific configurations. From another perspective, the network service provider benefits from avoiding xe2x80x9con-sitexe2x80x9d visits and/or technical support calls from the user who is unable to properly re-configure the portable computer. In this fashion, the gateway interface is capable of providing more efficient network access and network maintenance to the user/subscriber and the network operator.
A gateway interface is also instrumental in providing the user/subscriber broadband network access that can be tailored to the user""s needs. In many instances the remote user is concerned with being able to acquire network access and levels of service in the most cost-effective manner. Correspondingly, the gateway interface administrator desires the capability to be able to offer the user/subscriber numerous different service, routing, and billing rate options. By way of example, the remote user in a hotel environment may desire a network subscription for the duration of their hotel stay while the user in an airport may desire a network subscription for the duration of their layover or until their scheduled flight departs. Additionally, a user may desire a certain level of service based on bandwidth concerns and the need for higher or lower data transfer rates. For example, the user/subscriber who is accessing a network for the purpose of viewing text may desire a lower bandwidth service level that meets their particular needs, however, another user/subscriber who is accessing a network for the purpose of downloading files may desire a higher bandwidth service level capable of transferring data at higher speeds.
Additionally, the network service provider benefits from being able to offer various service, routing and billing options to the user/subscriber. By offering service at varying speeds and pricing scales, the network service provider is able to minimize network congestion, i.e. not all user/subscribers are tied to one high speed (and high cost) service. Lessening network traffic is beneficial for attracting new subscribers and insuring that pre-existing subscribers maintain status quo. From an economic standpoint, differentiated service quality and usage based pricing will promote the use and deployment of broadband network access and enhance the revenue models of the network service providers. No longer will the user/subscriber be tied to a flat-rate billing scheme that offers a single level of service quality. Flat-rate pricing and single level service quality consumes resources, requires light network users to subsidize heavy users, and hinders the dissemination of widespread use of broadband network access. Additionally, the ability to provide differentiated service quality and usage based pricing can be enhanced by providing these features on demand and dynamically throughout the user""s network session. For a more detailed discussion of the need to provide differentiated quality of service and billing schemes to the broadband network environment see xe2x80x9cProviding Internet Access: What We Learn From INDEXxe2x80x9d, INDEX project report #99-010W, Apr. 16, 1999, (http://www.INDEX.Berkeley.edu/reports/99-010W), R. J. Edell et.al. That document is herein expressly incorporated by reference as if setforth fully herein.
In today""s fast paced computing and networking environment it is even more advantageous to provide these service and billing options dynamically, allowing the user/subscriber to change, for example, billing rates, service routing or bandwidth capacity while a network session is on going. This would allow the user/subscriber to be billed at one rate while downloading the data-intensive file while choosing a more cost-effective billing structure for the less data-intensive activities. Additionally, the dynamic nature of this process would allow the user/subscriber to change service levels or billing rates without the need to exit the network and initiate a new log-on procedure. In effect, the user/subscriber benefits from having a more efficient and less time-consuming means of altering service levels and billing structure.
In order to make the user/subscriber constantly aware that these diverse service and billing options exist the gateway interface administrator needs to be able to provide the user/subscriber with real-time information pertaining to the network session(s) that the user currently has on-going. The gateway administrator would benefit from being able to provide the user/subscriber with constant or intermittent data related to the network sessions currently on-going, the duration of those sessions, the bandwidth currently being used, the number of bytes that have been transferred and any other information related to the current network session. In this manner, the user/subscriber has the capability to monitor and make the appropriate adjustments to the billing structure and/or service levels related to the network sessions that he or she currently has on going. The user/subscriber may choose to stop or shutdown connections (and thus billing) to those networks not currently being utilized. The user/subscriber may monitor the duration of the network session and determine that a longer subscription is necessary or the user may observe the bandwidth currently used and determine that the current application warrants an increase or decrease in bandwidth. The ability to provide this real-time information to the user is especially important in light of the fact that the typical, infrequent gateway interface user will be unfamiliar with billing and service structure and, particularly, the capability to change these features on-the-fly.
From the perspective of the network service provider, the ability to offer flexible service quality, routing options and billing plans ultimately can lead to less overall network congestion. The current broadband standard of flat rate billing and one-dimensional service and routing options force the network service provider in to effectively transmitting all network data at maximum bandwidth. By lessening the congestion within the network, the service provider is able to accommodate more user/subscribers and provide those user/subscribers with a more effective network. The ability to lessen congestion is even more apparent if the network service provider can offer the user/subscriber the capability to make changes to the service quality, routing and billing structure while the network session is on going. Additionally, by offering differentiated quality of service, routing and billing the network service provider may be able to increase the volume of user/subscribers accessing the network.
The present invention comprises an information and control console that is administered through a gateway interface. The gateway interface is capable of transparently connecting the user/subscriber to multiple networks without the need to reconfigure the user""s host computer. The information and control console allows the gateway administrator, the Internet service provider (ISP) and/or application service provider (ASP) to provide real-time information to the user/subscriber. The information provided to the user in the information and control console may be user-specific information related to the current network session, the current location of the user""s host, user-specific profile type information or the like. The user/subscriber can then act on the data provided to dynamically change the features of a current network session. Additionally, the information and control console can provide for information or access to information through appropriate links. In many instances, the information provided or the links to information may be user-specific information. The basis or xe2x80x9cknow-howxe2x80x9d for the user-specific data can be provided by the network service provider (i.e. user profiles in the network database) or through direct user inputs.
The information and control console provides the gateway administrator, the ISP and/or the ASP the capability to provide the user with limitless forms of information and networking options. For example, the gateway administrator can provide the user with network session monitoring information, or it can provide for marketing capabilities through advertising medium or it can provide the gateway administrator with a means to poll or survey users. The ISP and/or the ASP can provide the user with user-specific targeted marketing and advertising information or various service delivery platforms. These examples of the types of information that an information and control console may provide should not be construed as limiting. The information and control console may be configured by the gateway administrator, network provider or user/subscriber to provide a wide variety of information.
In one embodiment of the invention an information and control console is provided to a user/subscriber during a network session. The information and control console may include information and links to information in response to configuration of the panel by the gateway administrator or the subscriber/user. In many instances, the information that is provided for in the information and control console will be user-specific data assembled from user profiles in network databases or from direct user/subscriber inputs. The information that is provided to the user/subscriber via the information and control console may include monitoring of the network session, polling/surveying the user/subscriber, user-tailored advertisements and information on other services/features offered by the gateway administrator, the network provider and/or the application service provider.
In another embodiment of the present invention the information and control console may include network monitoring attributes such as, identifying the network session(s) currently in-use, identifying the duration of network sessions currently in-use, identifying the bandwidth currently available for a specific network session and identifying the current amount of bytes received and/or sent for a specific network session. It is to be understood, by those skilled in the art to which this invention relates that all conceivable useful information relating to the current network session could be displayed to the user/subscriber in a multitude of combinations as defined by the user/subscriber and/or the gateway administrator. The gateway administrator will have the capability to dynamically change the information supplied in the information and control console based on many factors, including the location of the user/subscriber, the profile of the user/subscriber and the chosen billing scheme and service level.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention a method is provided for communicating to a network user predefined information during an ongoing networking session. The method comprises of the steps of establishing computer network access to a user s host through a gateway interface that has the capacity to transparently configure a host to meet the requirements of available networks. In one embodiment, after the gateway interface has granted access to the host the gateway interface communicates with databases associated with the gateway interface to determine user-specific data. The user-specific data may include user-profiled information, host-location-related data, user-specific network monitoring information or the like. This user-specific data is then used to create information and control console packets at the gateway interface, which are then sent to the user""s host. The information and control console packets reach the host and generate information and control consoles on a monitor of the user""s host. The information and control consoles will comprise data that typically is related to a user""s profile, the chosen billing scheme, the chosen service level, the location from which the user desires access or any other information deemed pertinent by the gateway administrator or user/subscriber.